Wall paneling having concealed connection regions



May 5, 1970 R. c. MOCLAIN WALL PANELING HAVING CONCEALED CONNECTION REGIONS Filed Oct. 23, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I/l/4b I40 l/I4b l I8\ '/I8 (/8 i l I a o o o o:

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INVENTOR RICHARD C. MCCLAIN ATTORNEY WALL PANELING HAVING CONCEALED CONNECTION REGIONS Filed 001:. 23, 1967 R. C. M CLAIN May 5, 1970 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3a

INVENTOR RICHARD C. MC CLAIN m4, m mz FIG. 4

ATTORNEY y 5, 7 R. c. MCLAIN 3,509,675

WALL PANELING HAVING CONCEALED CONNECTION REGIONS Filed Oct. 23, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 6 INVENTOR RICHARD C. McCLAIN ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,509,675 WALL PANELIN G HAVING CONCEALED CONNECTION REGIONS Richard C. McClain, Moore, kla., assignor to Star Manufacturing Company of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Okla, a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 23, 1967, Ser. No. 677,379 Int. Cl. E04d 1/39 U.S. Cl. 52462 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A panel with elongated recessed channels is fastened to the building frame by fasteners which extend through the bottom wall of the channels into the frame members. Projections extend into the channels from each of the opposite side walls of the channel. The upper portions of the projections slope toward the bottom wall and the lower portions are squared and face the bottom wall. An elongated cover strip is formed to prove a U- shaped channel with resilient side walls sized to fit within the channel so that the strip covers the fasteners. The ends of the side walls are folded back to form outwardly facing hooks. As the cover strip is pressed into the channel, the hooks are cammed inwardly by the upper portions of the projections, and then snap outwardly into position behind the squared portions of the projections to securely retain the cover strips within the channel. The channels may be formed at the joint between two adjacent panels as well as intermediate of the individual panels.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to wall paneling, and more particularly relates to a paneling system for prefabricated steel buildings which utilizes cold formed sheet metal panels.

THE PRIOR ART Prefabricated metallic buildings are commonly con structed by transporting a large number of prefabricated structural members to a building site and there employing relatively unskilled laborers to erect the structure under the guidance of supervisory personnel.

These buildings are usually constructed by erecting a heavy steel frame for structural support and then fastening light-weight corrugated sheet metal panels to the framework. This provides a structure which is weatherproof and economical, but one which is not highly attractive. The lack of aesthetic appeal is due in large part to the panel design and the unsightly appearance of the heads of the bolts or screws used to fasten the panels to the frame. Another disadvantage of this type of structure is that the heads of the bolts and screws are exposed to weather, thus tending to promote corrosion and other deterioration.

Paneling systems in which the heads of fastening devices are concealed with cover strips attached to the panel members have been heretofore developed in environments unrelated to prefabricated metal buildings. A decsription and disclosure of such a paneling system for use on railroad cars is found in U.S. Pat. 2,592,545, issued Apr. 15, 1952. However, such a system is not practical or desirable for prefabricated metal buildings or the like due to the difiiculty and expense required in manufacturing the parts and the precision required during assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, paneling for covering a portion of a wall includes at least one elon- 3,509,675 Patented May 5, 1970 gated channel formed along the length of the paneling, with projections extending from opposite sides of the channel toward the center region of the channel. Screw fasteners extend through the bottom of the channel and attach the paneling to girts extending normal to the panels. An elongated cover strip is sized to fit within the channel and includes resilient edge portions which spring inwardly to bypass the ends of the projections and then spring outwardly into abutment with lower portions of the projections in order to securely retain the cover strip within the channel. The projections are preferably formed by pressing the sheet metal of the panel outwardly, but can be formed by separate clips secured by the fastener if desired.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a more complete understanding of the present invention and for further objects and advantages thereof, reference may now be had to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a panelled wall with a number of the cover strips of the present invention removed to expose the fastening screws:

FIG. 2 illustrates an end view of a portion of the panel system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3a is an enlarged sectional view of a joint between two panels of the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3b is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of a panel system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 illustrates a sectional view of another embodiment of the wall paneling system according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of still another embodiment of the present wall paneling system; and

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a plurality of the panels of the invention in a nested configuration.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERIRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIG. 1, a portion of a panel wall system constructed in accordance with this invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 10. The wall system customarily forms the vertical side wall of a prefabricated steel building. The portion of the wall panel system shown in FIG. 1 includes three individual panels 11 each formed from thin sheet metal. Each panel 11 includes three sections 12 defined by two interior connection regions 14a and edge connection regions 14b and 14c (see FIG. 3) at opposite edges of each panel. The connection regions 14 are flat and lie in a common plane at the back of the panel. The panels are disposed vertically with the connection regions positioned against horizontally extending girts 28. Self-tapping screws 16 extend through the connection regions into the girts to secure the panels in place. The connection regions 14 and fast ner 16 are preferably hidden by cover strips' 18 which will presently be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 2, it will be noted that each section .12 is formed by a pair of inwardly sloping planar surfaces 22 which meet to form a central crease 20. The planar surfaces 22 are set outwardly from the plane of the connection regions 14, and are joined to the connection regions 14 by rounded edge portions 24 and steeply sloping flange portions 26. The flange portions 26 form the sides of relatively deep grooves and the connection regions 14 form the bottoms.

The surfaces 22 are spaced outwardly from the plane of the connection regions 14 in order to provide corrugations to strengthen the panel, provide an air space for a thermal break, and also provide passageways between the panel and the supporting frame for electrical conduits or other piping.

It will be noted that the side flanges 26 of the panels extend outwardly from the connecting regions 14 at an oblique angle so that the paneling can be nested with other similarly constructed panels to faciliate shipping and storing. However, the oblique angle preferably approaches a right angle, the connection regions are preferably relatively narrow and the side flanges and the rounded edge portions 24 are preferably of a considerable length. This arranegment sets panels 22 out from the horizontally extending girts a considerable distance for the reasons mentioned above, and also provides relatively deep and narrow grooves which conceal the heads of the fastening screws 16 when the wall is viewed from an angle of less than about 45. This materially improves the overall appearance of the wall when the cover strips 18 are not used for economic reasons.

The joint between two adjacent panels 11 is shown in the enlarged sectional view of FIG. 3a. The connection region 14c of one panel member terminates in a lip 48 which is inclined upwardly at approximately the same angle as the side flanges 26. The connection region 14b of the other panel is defined by a bend 52 produced by folding edge 54 back under to provide a double thickness. The width of the connection region 14b is such as to be precisely positioned when received in the channel formed by the side flange 26 and the lip 48. This positions the projections 42 on the flanges 26 of the two adjacent panels on the proper spacing with the desired tolerance even though the width of the sheet material used to form the panels may vary, or even though the edges of the sheet material are not precisely positioned relative to the dies as the panels areformed from a strip of sheet material. In addition, the lip 48 and the double thickness 54 stiffen the edges of the panels and reduce the likelihood that these edges will be bent during handling. In addition, the flange 48 and edge 54 assist in sealing the joint to provide a weather-tight system. Thus, it will be noted that the channel formed at the joint between two adjacent panels is virtually the same as the channels formed wholly by a single panel.

A pair of projections 30 extend inwardly from the opposite side flanges 26. As shown in FIG. 3b, each projection has an upper surface 40 which slopes downwardly toward the bottom of the channel. An intermediate portion 42 extends from the surface 40 substantially parallel to the side flanges of the channel, and a lower face 44 faces the bottom wall 14 of the channel. The projections 30 may be constructed by punching out the side flanges 26 at spaced intervals along the length by a distance approximately equal to the thickness of the sheet material. As shown in FIG. 3a, the upper surface 32 of the cover strip 18 is relatively flat and is of a width to closely fit within the elongated channel to hide not only the fastening screws 16 but the projections 30. Of course, the shape of the upper surface 32 may be curved if desired.

The marginal edges of the cover strip 18 are bent inwardly at 34 and then back outwardly so as to form hooks 36 having outwardly facing lips 38 for engaging the faces 44 of the projections 30. The hooks 36 are resilient so that the cover strip 18 can be installed merely by snapping the strip into position. The hook lips 38 will be cammed inwardly by the upper surface 40 and intermediate portions 42, and will then spring outwardly behind the lower faces 44 and securely retain the cover strip within the channel. The hooks 36 of the cover strip 18 should normally be spaced apart a greater distance than the maximum anticipated spacing between projections 30 so that the strip will be securely held in place even though the distance between facing projections 30 may vary due to normal production tolerances and bendcomes a particularly critical problem in the grooves formed at the joint between two adjacent panels because the opposed projections are located on separate panels and are therefore subject to any errors in positioning of the two panels.

The lap joint of the panels is particularly advantageous when erecting prefabricated metal buildings using unskilled labor because the joints automatically orient the panels in the proper position. The cover strips can then be easily and quickly snapped into place on the paneling. The paneling system does not require additional fastening devices for the strips.

Although the provision of integral retention projections on the panel members is very desirable, it may be desired in some insttances to utilize a different type of connection to hold the cover strips 18 in place. FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention which utilizes separate clip elements 56 to retain the cover strips 18 within the channels. Clip 56 includes a relatively flat base 58 which is sized to closely fit within the bottom of the channel and to receive the fastening screw 16. Clip 56 is secured in place by the fastening screw 16 used to connect the panels to the girts of the supporting frame.

A pair of inwardly facing hooks are formed integral with the base 58 and include shanks 60 which slope outwardly with essentially the same slope as the side flanges 26 of the panel members and hook-like projections 62 which project toward the center of the channel. The projections 62 include upper portions 64 which slope downwardly toward the base 58 to cam the lips of the resilient hooks 36 inwardly during installation of the strip cover 18 and a bottom portion 66 which faces the bottom of the channel and is adapted to engage the lips of the resilient hooks 36 and securely retain the cover strips 18 in place. Due to the fact that the clips 56 are integral, the spacing between the projections 62 is fixed and no prob ems in retaining the cover strips 18 are normally incurred in installation of the paneling.

The clip 56 may be of a relatively short length, or may extend substantially along the total length of the panel channel. The clip 56 may be constructed from any suitable material, such as aluminum or plastic, and may be economically constructed by extrusion or by injection molding.

It will be understood that while the utilization of the clips 56 shown in FIG. 4 does not require precision constructural dimensioning or installation of the cover strips 18, the utilization of the separate clips 56 presents dis advantages not found in the use of the integral retention projections 30. The clips 56 require the assembly of an extra part, thereby resulting in a more complex and time consuming construction. Further, the addition of the sep arate clip 56 is relatively costly to manufacture and requires additional handling expense.

FIG. 5 illustrates the preferred embodiment of the present invention wherein opposed projections for engaging and retaining the cover strips 18 are located on a single panel, thereby eliminating the requirement for precise positioning of adjacent panels. The edge connection region 14c of one panel member terminates in an inclined lip 48 which is inclined upwardly at approximately the same angle as the side flanges 26, in the manner previously described.

The width of the connection region 14b of the other panel is defined by the side flange 26 of the panel and by a lip 68 which is inclined to abut with the side flange 26 of the other panel. The relative widths of the two connection region 14b and 14c are such that the two margin regions of the panels may be overlapped in the abutting configuration illustrated. The fastening screws 16 extend through the connection regions 14b and 14c into the girts in order to provide a secure, weather-tight panel joint.

Projections 70 extend at longitudinally spaced intervals from the sidewall 26, while opposing projections 72 extend at longitudinally spaced intervals from the flange 68 of the panel member. Projections 70 and 72 are constructed in the manner previously described, with each having upper surfaces which slope downwardly toward the bottom of the channel and lower faces facing the bottom of the channel. The cover strip 18 includes hooks 36 having outwardly facing lips 38 for engaging the lower faces of the projections 70 and 72 when the strip is snapped into position.

As may be seen from an inspection of FIG. 5, the positioning of the opposing projections 70 and 72 on a single panel member eliminates the necessity of precise positioning of adjacently disposed panels-It will be understood that each panel has a series of opposing projections 70 and 72 along one marginal edge and no projections along the opposite marginal edge in order to allow the construction of the overlapping joint shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 6 illustrates three nested panels 11, each of which includes three sections 12 defined by two interior connection regions 14a and by edge connection regions 14b and 14c. The side flanges 26 of the panels extend outwardly from the connecting regions at an obtuse angle sufficient to allow the panels to be nested in the manner illustrated, in order to facilitate shipping and storing.

Whereas the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments, it will be understood that modifications within the scope of the invention may occur to one skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. A wall paneling system including:

a panel having a central connection portiton comprising inwardly tapered side walls and a bottom wall connected between the side walls;

a plurality of retaining members positioned at spaced points along both side walls of the connection portion and each comprising a severed and inwardly bent portion of the material of one of the side walls, and

a cover mounted in the connection portion between the side walls thereof and comprising a main portion that extends parallel to the bottom wall of the connection portion and two retaining portions each comprising an extension of the main portion that extends first inwardly toward the bottom Wall and then through a reverse curve into mating engagement with the retaining members of one of the side walls.

2. The wall paneling system according to claim 1 wherein the severed portions of the retaining members form retaining surfaces that face the bottom wall of the connection portion.

3. The wall paneling system according to claim 2 wherein the retaining portions of the cover terminate in surfaces that abut the retaining surfaces of the retaining members to secure the cover in the connection portion.

4. A wall paneling system comprising:

a first panel including a channel comprised of inwardly tapered side walls and a bottom wall connected between the side walls;

a second panel including a flange positioned between the side walls and in engagement with the bottom wall of the channel of the first panel;

a retaining clip mounted in the channel and including a bottom wall mounted in engagement with the flange of the second panel and side walls that extend away from the bottom wall and that terminate in inwardly extending lips, said lips having retaining surfaces that face the bottom wall of the channel, and

a cover mounted in the channel and including a main portion that extends parallel to the bottom surface of the channel and two retaining portions, said retaining portions each comprising an extension of the material of the cover that tapers inwardly from an edge of the main portion and then extends outwardly through a reverse curve to a retaining surface positioned in engagement with one of the retaining surfaces of the clip.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,592,545 4/1952 Dean 52-508 X 2,803,858 8/1957 Rader 52-468 X 2,990,650 7/1961 Attwood 52-468 3,135,070 6/1964 Waring et al. 52-478 X 3,199,258 8/1965 Jentoft et al. 52-468 X 3,206,898 9/1965 Schroyer 52-471 X 2,150,130 3/1939 Ragsdale et al. 52-466 2,480,321 8/1949 Clarke 52-468 3,307,314 3/1967 Varlonga 52-461 FOREIGN PATENTS 836,777 6/ 1960 Great Britain. 513,307 2/ 1955 Italy.

FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner S. D. BURKE III, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 52-463, 470, 625 

